The last several years have been taxing, to say the least. Workers everywhere have gone above and beyond to keep their schools, homes, hospitals, and businesses running despite limited resources and demanding realities. And here at Modern Health, we’ve noticed two kinds of workers who have toiled especially hard—HR professionals and mental health care providers—and we want to take a moment to thank the best of the best among us. 

Through our inaugural industry awards program, Modern Health Heroes, we will recognize U.S. individuals in two categories:

• Licensed mental health care providers who have made a positive impact on the patients and communities they serve, and
• Human resources professionals who have made a positive impact on their organization’s workplace culture and the mental well-being of employees. 

Know someone who deserves to be recognized? Complete a short entry form and tell us why. Nominations will be accepted now through July 13, 2022. Winners will be formally announced at Elevate, our global industry conference, to be held September 7 and 8. Modern Health will donate $500 to a mental health non-profit organization of each category winner’s choice, and winners and honorees will be featured in Quartz. 

Why Modern Health Heroes ‍

Before the pandemic, there were 51.5 million U.S. adults, or one in five people, living with a mental health condition. The pandemic worsened the problem; in 2020, Modern Health industry research found more than half of U.S. adults surveyed experienced more stress and anxiety that year than at any other time in their lives. The combination of an unprecedented global pandemic, deep political divisions, race-related violence, worsening climate change, and societal unrest has resulted in a global mental health crisis. 

Why mental health care providers

“We’ve seen mental health issues rising rapidly and unfortunately we don’t have enough therapists in the world to care for everyone who needs it. This has put enormous pressure on mental health care providers who have had to step up to support however they can,” said Modern Health Vice President of Clinical Strategy & Research Dr. Myra Altman. “We wanted to take a moment to recognize those mental health care providers who are still dealing with the mental health fallout of what has been an incredibly challenging few years.”

Why HR professionals

“The role of an HR leader has never been more important or complex,” said Modern Health Chief People Officer Maureen Calabrese. “A strong employee experience is one of the most critical aspects of a company’s ability to recruit and retain talent in a world where people are the number one driver of company performance. HR professionals are the backbone of this effort, setting the tone for company culture, building end-to-end employee experiences, and implementing it all with an eye towards equity and belonging. The last few years have really spotlighted the incredible value of our HR teams as they’ve become the most important voice in the room and have, in some cases, shown incredible innovation and resiliency.”

To identify the first batch of Modern Health Heroes, submissions will be judged by a panel of licensed mental health care professionals and HR leaders, representing diverse perspectives and expertise in their respective fields. This year’s panel includes: 

• Evangeline Mendiola, director of global benefits and well-being at Zendesk
• Taisha Caldwell-Harvey, Ph.D., licensed psychologist, founder of The Black Girl Doctor, and mental health consultant at Modern Health
• Myra Altman, Ph.D., licensed psychologist and vice president of clinical strategy and research at Modern Health
• Jessica Jackson, Ph.D., licensed psychologist and global clinical DEIB manager at Modern Health

Don’t forget to nominate a deserving mental health care provider or HR leader via webform between now and July 13, 2022, and follow along with the nominees and winners at Modern Health Heroes.